


By Your Side (The Sun Will Rise)

by hlae



Category: Kill la Kill
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2014-12-21
Packaged: 2018-03-02 16:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2818871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hlae/pseuds/hlae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An ending is only the beginning of something new, or: What to do After You've Saved the World. Satsuki deliberates and Ryuko flounders--it's a good thing they have each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	By Your Side (The Sun Will Rise)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [magicasen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicasen/gifts).



i. 

_“Papa,” says Ryuko, small hands clutching the doorframe. It’s cold, and she shivers, clutches her teddy a little tighter. “Papa, I’m scared. Can you check my room for monsters?”_

_“Not now, Ryuko,” says her father, huddled over something, eyes hidden by the harsh glare of artificial lights. “Be a brave little girl and go to bed, okay? I’m a little busy, I’ll be there soon. ”_

_Ryuko bites her lips and nods, but he doesn’t look up. She wills herself not to cry and pads away, the hallway stretching endlessly._

_She falls asleep listening for the sound of footsteps._

ii.

It’s been three months since Honnoji Academy sank beneath the waters of the Toyko Bay, but that’s not something anyone could ever tell by looking at its calm waters, rippling gently as boats pass by. Ryuko sighs, leaning against the railing. The sun gilts the landscape silver, the warm breeze ruffling her hair, and yet she can’t help but feel that something’s missing.

“Is something the matter?”

Ryuko quirks a grin without turning around.

“Make some noise, will you.  Maybe we should get you one of those little cat bells, so we get a warning whenever you pop up somewhere.”

She whirls around, expecting to see an affronted expression on Satsuki’s face. She’s not disappointed, but that little amount of satisfaction is quickly overwhelmed by surprise as she rears back.

Satsuki raises an inquisitive eyebrow at her, but Ryuko swears that she can see her cheeks tinged with pink. She’s dressed in a simple blouse and a long, flowing skirt, but that’s not all that’s different about her. Ryuko grins.

“You sure clean up real nice, big sis. And what’s with that hair?”

She leans in before she can think more of it, running her hands through Satsuki’s short hair. She’s chopped off quite a bit, and though the longer strands had suited her well during her dictatorship, thinks Ryuko a little resentfully, the bob is nice. It softens the harsh lines of her sister’s angular face, and in fact–

“We match!” says Ryuko, grinning as she tugs at her own hair. Satsuki huffs a laugh and makes an aborted movement with her hand, before letting it hang uselessly, at her side. Ryuko frowns, but before she can say anything Satsuki interrupts.

 “Where is Makanshoku?”

“Oh,” says Ryuko. “Mako’s sick. I know, that sounds super weird to me too–Mako is _never_ sick. But she called and she sounded terrible so I told her to stay home…I was going to cancel too so I could be with her but then she cried at me, so I’m here, at her insistence.”

Ryuko says the last part with a light inflection, expecting a quip about her eagerness, but Satsuki doesn’t say anything of the sort, just frowns and nods like she’s giving condolences.

“Let’s get going,” she says at last, and Ryuko nods, pushing off the railing and lengthening her strides to match Satsuki’s.

She feels off-kilter without Mako there to diffuse whatever leftover tension had existed between defeating each other in battle and killing their mother. Ryuko likes to think it was a bonding experience, but she’s never been the sort to gush over relationships, not to mention she’s never really had a family before the Mankanshouku’s, and, well, they’re still Mako’s, first and foremost.

That’s not to say that Satsuki is _hers_ , in any sense; there’s the Elite Four, for one, and their father, and even Ragyo was such a huge part of–

“What are you so focused, on Ryuko?” says Satsuki abruptly, looking at her curiously. Ryuko laughs awkwardly to mask her startled response and shakes her head, a rough motion.

“Nothing,” she says. She doesn’t want to bring it up now, not when they’re in the midst of a tentative peace.

She walks a little faster so she won’t have to look at Satsuki’s face.

 

 iii.

_“This will be your wedding dress, Satsuki,” says her father._

_Five-year-old Satsuki Kiryuin looks up at the white outfit, shining like a forbidden beacon. She wants to wear it. She can’t wait until she grows up enough to put it on._

_She’s always felt that her mother’s never properly looked at her–dismissing her with a casual hand, talking through her like she’s not anything worth treating properly._

_Maybe, after she puts on her wedding dress, her mother will finally see her._

_She resolves to wait until that day comes._

 iv.

The theatre is damp and dark. Ryuko shifts in her seat, uncomfortable. It’s been half an hour and despite a lot of explosions and rain, she still has no idea in hell what this movie’s about. More importantly, she’s way too conscious of Satsuki’s presence at her side–whenever she sneaks a peek it looks like Satsuki’s staring straight ahead, chin and back ramrod straight as always, but nonetheless a line of warmth where her body rests beside Ryuko’s. It shouldn’t be as distracting as it is.

“Ryuko, stop fidgeting. Despite my best efforts, it’s ruining my concentration.” Satsuki’s eyes are still focused on the screen, but her whisper is sharp and annoyed.

Ryuko bristles instinctively. “It’s not my fault these seats are hard as brick, okay? The movie is shit, anyway.”

Satsuki turns to look at her then, and Ryuko almost wishes she didn’t say anything. The darkness of the theatre obscures most of Satsuki’s features, but her eyes are piercing in the dim light. “If I recall correctly, you were the one who purchased the tickets to this movie. Did you wish to leave, then, if it is not to your satisfaction?”

“Yes–No–look, I just need to go to the bathroom for a bit. Just stay here and keep watching.”

Ryuko leaves before she can hear Satsuki’s reply, striding quickly towards the washrooms. Geez, what’s wrong with her? She turns on the tap, scrubs her face with the water, breathing a heavy sigh. She looks at her expression in the mirror. She doesn’t look all that troubled, really–same old eyes, red stripe of hair, bangs brushing across her face. Her hair might be a little long, actually, but that doesn’t explain the roiling feeling in her stomach, how she sometimes can’t swallow when Satsuki glances at her aslant.

What does a girl have to do to catch a break?

 

 v.

_“How was your day, sweetheart?” says a lady in a flowery dress. She’s holding the hand of a little boy, who smiles up at her with missing teeth._

_Ryuko makes a disgusted noise, walking faster across the yard so she doesn’t have to see this kind of stupidity. Class is finally over, but unfortunately it’s raining pretty hard today and the school dorms are all the way across campus. She just wants to get back and dry off as soon as possible._

_A pair of scuffed black boots step in her way–she looks up to see the ugly grin of one of her classmates. He’s brandishing a baseball bat threateningly. She’s pretty sure he’s part of the group that ambushed her yesterday, and as she stands there more boys appear around the corner._

_She bares her teeth in a grin. On the other hand, she can always make time for this._

 vi.

Ryuko slurps at her fizzy drink as she waits for Satsuki to choose a treat. She raises an eyebrow when Satsuki comes back to her side, having paid the merchant and is now standing there with a mint chocolate ice cream cone in her hand.

“Really? Would’ve pegged you more for the vanilla sort of flavor, not that I’d ever think you’d eat ice cream,” teases Ryuko. Satsuki shrugs.

“I wanted to try something new.” She takes a lick, and her eyes light up. The childish delight in her face is such a novelty that Ryuko can’t help but laugh. Satsuki looks at her, still smiling, and suddenly Ryuko can’t breathe. She doesn’t want Satsuki to part ways with her again. It doesn’t matter that Satsuki probably finds her annoying (and vice versa), that they still can’t hold a conversation for more than ten minutes without wanting to punch each other in the face, and that she always feels awkward next to Satsuki. Just these moments, they could be enough.

“How are you doing, now?” asks Ryuko abruptly. “Now that Ragyo’s gone. What are you planning to do with your life?”

“Such a serious conversation, already?” says Satsuki mildly. There must be something telling on Ryuko’s face, because she drops it pretty quickly.

She sighs, cuts her eyes to the side. They’re back outside again, ending up next to the same railing Ryuko was hanging onto this morning. Satsuki looks different in the setting sun, a more subdued, less intimidating figure. Softer. More human.

“I’ve already made plans to transfer any corporations originally under my mother’s name to me. REVOCS, is of course, obsolete with regards to its original function, not to mention having lost the trust of its wearers, so it’ll most likely to be disbanded. As for the rest….” She hesitates.

Ryuko nods. “I thought as much,” she says, ignoring Satsuki’s slight widening of her eyes. “Your entire life revolved around Ragyo, and now that she’s dead, you don’t know what to do.”

Satsuki frowns. “Nonsense. I will continue to do what I’ve always done: to remake the world. To establish a better system, for everyone, for all people who don’t make sense. You can’t be foolish enough to believe that just because Ragyo is gone, her influence has disappeared entirely?”

Ryuko emits a frustrated growl. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

“Excuse me?” says Satsuki, eyebrows raised.

Ryuko barrels on, undeterred. “You were so obsessed with thwarting Ragyo, you planned every moment of your life up to that point. Now that the big reveal’s over, what’s your plan? Like sure, you want what you’ve always wanted, world domination, whatever. But don’t you think you deserve a break? Everyone’s moving on with their lives, and it’s about time you’ve do so too.”

Satsuki glares at her, fists clenched. “Do not presume to know my life, Ryuko. How would you know what my relationship with our mother is like, when you lived under the guidance of our father, a vastly better man?”

Ryuko laughs. It comes out bitter.  “Don’t make this about me. Dad didn’t give a shit about me–and yeah, maybe he had a reason not to, but he was still a terrible father, as I knew him. But he wasn’t a terrible _man_ and some part of me still loved him, I guess. It’s hard to let go. But you’ll never truly be free of her if you don’t do so, Satsuki. You put down your sword. But can you take off your uniform? Wear your own clothes?”

Satsuki is tight-lipped and furious and Ryuko prepares herself for a fight. They stare at each other in heated silence, and Ryuko’s utterly surprised when her sister does nothing but breathe a heavy sigh. “What do you suppose I should do then, Ryuko? Since you seem to have all the answers.”

She isn’t smiling but her mouth seems softer, somehow. Ryuko relaxes.

“This is probably….it might come out a little stupid, but. Why not go to high school with us? Just for a bit, and you can still do your taking over the world stuff on the side…stop being _Kiryuin Satsuki_ for a while and just be Satsuki, you know?”

She can feel her face heat. This was a stupid idea. “Or actually, you know what–”

“It’s not a bad idea,” says Satsuki. “I…will admit, that some of the things you’ve said do ring true. Are you certain you want me in such close proximity to you? You seem to exhibit a sort of aversion to me, if the events of today reveal truthfully, and–”

“ _What_?” says Ryuko. “No. _No._ It’s not _aversion_ –”

She’s flustered, unable to continue, and now Satsuki’s moving closer, curious, and her face is so hot she might as well be a tomato, great. Awesome.

“So what is it, then?” asks Satsuki.

“Just–not–it’s–” And Satsuki is now _way_ too close and her eyes are a deep blue pool and her hair glints gilded in the golden sky and Ryuko thinks, _fuck it_ and before she can really think about it, shuts her eyes, leans closer, and presses her lips to Satsuki’s.

There’s a single, pure, panicked moment, and then Satsuki _moves_ and presses closer, and there’s warm pressure on her own mouth and for a second they just stand like that, breathing in each other.

When Ryuko pulls back, she can’t help but grin. There’s _definitely_ a blush on Satsuki’s face now. They look at each other, and– _oh shit_ , Satsuki’s going to freak out– but she just bursts out laughing.

Ryuko looks at her face and starts laughing too.

They’re going to be okay.

 

 vii.

_“Satsuki-sama,” they say. “Satsuki-sama, Satsuki-sama, Satsuki-sama.”_

_It’s polite, it’s proper, it’s only appropriate they refer to her that way._

_“Satsuki-chan,” says Nonon, sometimes._

_Perhaps, one day, there will be someone out there who will only know her as Satsuki._

_Satsuki sips her tea. Idle thoughts were for idle times, and neither of those were for now. There’s a war to be fought and a world to be saved, and more pressingly, an academy to be declared open._

_“Soroi,” she says. “Enough tea, thank you.”_

_It’s time to begin._


End file.
